Louver assembly



J. L. WRIGHT ETAL Nov. 8 1960 LOUVER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1959 JAY L WR/W' r oscA/ c. MEL GAARD $7M MW ATTORNEYS Nov. 8, 1960 J. L. WRIGHT ETAL 2,959,117

LOUVER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1959 v INVENTORS R/GHT 5% E. MELGAARD ATTORNEYS atent 2?,9 9 ,ll7 Patented Nov. 8, 1960 LOUVER ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 789,114

15 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) This invention relates to louver assemblies such as are conventionally employed for controlling the direction of air flow from air conditioning units and the like. More particularly, the invention pertains to louver constructions having intersecting sets of vanes, each set of vanes being selectively adjustable to vary their angle of inclination and, therefore, to control the direction in which processed air or gases are discharged from a conditioning unit.

There is an important need for an adjustable louver assembly which provides sufiicient rigidity to effectively inhibit and eliminate the noise of vane flutter. Parenthetically, vane flutter has been a natural consequence of adjustably mounting a set of louver vanes in an air stream. Air pressure exerted upon the vanes tends to move each vane against its mounting, but since the pressures applied by the flow stream will fluctuate, and since the pressures on either side of a vane may be alternately the greater, there is a tendency to vibrate each vane and produce what is known as vane flutter.

It is one object of this invention to provide a louver grille assembly including means for journaling each of two intersecting vanes upon the other, whereby each vane can pivot about its own pivot axis.

Another object is to provide a louver grille assembly including one or more pairs of pivotally mounted and intersecting vane members, one vane of each pair having an arcuate shaped edge portion generated from the point where its pivot axis intersects the axis of the other vane and said other vane having an arcuate shaped complementary opening generated from the same point of axes intersection. If the radii used for generating an edge portion and a complementary opening are approximately equal, then the arcuate shaped edge portion of said one vane will be in close adjacency to the peripheral edge of its complementary opening for all positions of said vanes, thereby providing a constant bearing contact.

A third object is to provide in a louver assembly, a louver vane having a pair of complementary semi-spool shaped bearing surfaces formed on either side thereof, each of said bearing surfaces including a semi-cylindrical center surface having a common generating axis, and pivot means for inwardly engaging each of said semicylindrical center surfaces on a pivot axis.

Another important aspect of this invention is the provision of a louver assembly having a single operating lever which may be manipulated to simultaneously operate and adjust two sets of intersecting louver vanes. The handle of this lever always points in the direction of controlled air flow adjustment.

Therefore, it is a further object of this invention to provide devices such as described above and including an operating lever pivotally mounted on element-axes in the planes of each vane, said lever engaging and manipulating one of said vanes as it is being pivoted on an element-axis of that vane, while pivoting freely upon an element-axis of the other vane.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from a study of the following description and in view of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of a louver assembly which incorporates this invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the assembly of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the assembly of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on lines 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on lines 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the intersection of first and second vanes, showing details of the bearing surfaces for journaling each vane upon the other.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the hub assembly shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the louver assembly, vanes pivoted into an extreme diagonal position.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in section,

' depicting portions of a vane and frame.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 there is shown a louver assembly having a generally rectangular frame 1 in which there is mounteda plurality of first spaced parallel louver vanes 2 and a plurality of second spaced parallel louver vanes 3 containing slots 3a opening at one edge thereof for the reception of the cooperating vanes 2. Vanes 2 and 3 carry a pivot post 4 at either end, and each vane is pivotally mounted between laterally extending flange members 5 which run along each side of the frame for engaging the vanes at their respective pivot post. Pivot posts 4 are formed with intermediate cylindrical grooves 4a, said grooves having a height the approximate width of the flange member, and each groove is received in one of the annular collar openings provided in the flanges. Accordingly, means is provided for pivotally supporting two intersecting sets of vane members upon a frame.

As best shown in Figs. 3-5, each vane carries a link post 6 at a radial spaced distance from its respective pivot post 4. The link posts along each side of the frame are joined into a parallel linkage by a link bar 7, whereby each vane is parallel to other vanes and each link post is free to pivot in the link bar. Therefore, if one vane is pivoted about its pivot post, the other vanes connected thereto by the parallel linkage will be similarly pivoted. A parallel linkage connection as thus described may be provided at both ends of the vanes, thereby insuring a more uniform vane movement and better control.

Each first vane 2 pivots on a first axis 8 (Fig. 6) which is substantially normal to the pivot axes 9 of the second vanes 3, and in the embodiment illustrated each first axis intersects each of the second axes. At each of these intersections means is provided for journaling each first and second vane upon the other, whereby the first vane can pivot about its first axis and the second vane can pivot about its second axis. More specifically, and referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 6 and 7, a pair of similar spool-like bearing surfaces 10 are formed or otherwise provided on both sides of a first vane. Each bearing surface includes a partially cylindrical center surface 11 having a flange 12 at either end. The pair of complementary surfaces 10 have a common generating first axis, thereby forming opposite partially cylindrical surface portions. opposed and inwardly facing lugs 13 is mounted on or A pivot means comprising a pair of diametrically formed from thesecondvane, said lugs inwardly engaging the pair of semi-cylindrical surfaces. Lugs 13 are shaped in circular cylinders having a diametric width approximately equal to the cylindrical height of each semi-cylindrical surface ll. In this, way the lugs will engage the approximate center of semi-cylindrical surface "11 and also, the confining surfaces ofv each rim 12. With this pivot connection each vane may be. pivoted about its own pivot axis without harmful binding between intersecting portions of the. vanes. However, since a number of bearing surfaces arev provided and since, each vaneis rigidly secured to the other, this construction greatly tends to reduce vane flutter.

At each intersection of first and second vanes, the first vane is provided with an arcuate shaped edge portion 14 generated from thepoi ntwh ere the pivot axis of that vane intersects the pivot of the intersecting second vane. The second vane has a complementary opening 15 formed therein, aid openjug being generated from the same point of intersecting axes and having approximately the same generating radius asthat of edge portion 14'. Accordingly, when the vanes are assembled as shown in Fig. 6, the arcuate shaped edge portion of the first vane will be in contacting or close abutting relation to the peripheral edge of the opening for all positions of the vanes. This, then, provides an additional bearing surface which materially aids in dampening vane flutter.

This invention also contemplates the provision of an operating lever assembly 16 pivotally mounted upon an axis normal to a first vane and intersecting a second axis 9. Since the lever may also be pivoted with a first vane upon its first axis, the lever engages and manipulates either the first or second vane, depending on the axis about which it is rotated. But since it can be moved simultaneously upon either of these axes, therefore in diagonal fashion as shown in Fig. 8, both sets of vanes can be posi: tioned simultaneously.

The operating lever assembly of Figs. 4 and 5 comprises a pivotally mounted bifurcated lever member 17 and a handle 18. Lever member. 171 has a pair of laterally spaced and parallel arm portions extending on opposite sides of a first vane, each arm portion having an elongated slot 19 and anannular opening 20 (Fig. 7) for encircling the spool-like surfaces formedon opposite surfaces of this first vane 2.. The operating lever assembly 16, may, for example, be mountedabont the first and second vanes at their point of intersection by assembling the painofspaced parallel arm portions so that one vane is positioned in the elongated slots. and the-other vane portion is positioned between th parallel arm portions. The parallel arm portions of the lever assembly may then be united in any suitable manner to form a unitary lever assembly which closes the openings through which the first and second vanes were inserted therein. While the flanges of the spool can be used to define four points of pivotal contact on an imaginary pivot circle, partially cylindrical bosses 21 can be formed outwardly from each flange to better define the pivot circle. With either construction it will be noted thatlthis pivot circle is on an axisnormal to th t ns andia er ests th p v axis of t e see e vane at each position towhich the vane may be moved.

If lever member 17 is pivoted about the described pivot circle, Fig. 4, it will engage a second vane which projects through slot.19 and, consequently, cause thevane to pivot about its pivot axis. However, if the lever is mo ed. a r y a su e te by he a w l of Fig. 5, the arm portions will bear against the confined first vane and cause it to pivot between theengaging lugs 13 and around itspivot axis, while the second vane passes freely through slot 19. If the lever is moved diagonally, both vanes will be pivoted simultaneously, points on said first and second vanes and of equal radius from the intersection of the vane pivot axes being moved vector disnqs Wi l- .5? ambin d rssli t ar. il s i the is r ss? imme-" ran; f are. a Q a1 ra l lf istease 4- from the axes intersection and located on the operating lever (Fig. 8). As shown, operating lever assembly 16 will indicate the direction of controlled air flow for any position to which the vanes may be adjusted.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example thereof, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of certain parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the attached claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

I. A louver grill assembly comprising a frame; a plurality of first spaced parallel louver vanes, each vane pivotally mounted on said frame on a first axis; a plurality of second spaced parallel louver vanes, each second vane pivotally mounted on said frame on a second axis which intersects at least one first axis in a common plane; each of said first vanes having anarcuate shaped edge portion within the confines of the edge portions of each said first vane generatedfrom the point where its said first axis interselctsa said second axis, each of said second vanes haying an arcuate shaped opening within the confines of the edge portions ofeach said second vane generated from the pointwhere its said second axis intersects a said first axis, said first vanes projecting through said openings thus provided, the radii for generating an edge portion and a complementary opening being approximately equal, whereby each arcuate shaped; edge portion of said first vane willbe in close adjacency to the peripheral edge of its complementary opening for all positions of'said vanes.

2. The louver grill of claim 1 wherein each of said first spaced parallel louver vanes is connected to the others by a first parallelogram linkage means, each of said second spaced parallel louver vanes is connected to the others by a second parallel linkage means, and, an operating lever is pivotally mounted on an axis normal to a first vane and intersecting a second axis, said. lever engaging and manipulating said first and second vanes respectively while being freely pivoted upon said first axis and said normal axis.

3. A louver grill assembly comprising a frame; a plurality of first spaced parallel louver vanes, each vane pivotally mounted on said frame on a first axis; a plurality of second spaced parallel louver vanes, each sec ond vane pivotally mounted on said frame on a second axis which intersects at least one of, said first vanes; 21 pair of similar spool-like bearing surfaces formed on either side of each first vane at the intersection of its first axis and each second axis, each pair of said bearing surfaces including a partially cylindrical portion, said portions havingv a common generating first axis; each second vane containing an opening receiving each pair of bearing surfaces, apair of diametrically opposed and inwardly facing lugs mounted on the edges of. the opening in each second vane adjacent the intersection of its second axis and each first axis, each lug inwardly engaging a partially cylindrical portion on a second axis, whereby each first vane can pivot about its first axis and each second vane can pivotabout its second axis.

4. The louver grill of claim 3 wherein each of said first spaced parallel louver vanes is connected to the others by a first parallelogram linkage means, each of said second spaced parallel louver vanes is connected to the others by a second parallel linkage means, and an operating lever is pivotally mounted on an axis normal to a first vane and intersecting a second axis, said lever engaging and manipulating said first and second vanes respectively while being freely pivotedupon said first axis and said normal axis.

5. A louver grill assembly comprising a frame; a plurality of first spaced parallel louver vanes, each vane pivotally mounted on said frame on a first axis; a plurality of second spaced parallel louver vanes, each second vane pivotally niounted on saidframe on a'second axis which A A ILMMUAA intersects at least one of said first vanes; each of said first vanes having an arcuate shaped edge portion on both sides of its first axis generated from the point where its first axis intersects a second axis, a pair of similar spoollike bearing surfaces formed on either side of each first vane at the intersection of its first axis and each second axis, each pair of said bearing surfaces including a partially cylindrical portion, said portions having a common generating first axis; each of said second vanes having an arcuate shaped opening on both sides of its second axis generated from the point where its second axis intersects a first axis, said first vanes projecting through openings thus provided, the generating radii for said edge portions and complementary openings being approximately equal, and a pair of diametrically opposed and inwardly facing pivot lugs mounted on each second vane on the opposite edges of the arcuate shaped opening extending longitudinally along said second axis of said second vane, each lug inwardly engaging a said partially cylindrical portion on a second axis.

6. The louver grill of claim 5 wherein each of said first spaced parallel louver vanes is connected to the others by a first parallelogram linkage means, each of said sec ond spaced parallel louver vanes is connected to the others by a second parallel linkage means, and an operating lever is pivotally mounted on an axis normal to a first vane and intersecting a second axis, said lever engaging and manipulating said first and second vanes respectively while being freely pivoted upon said first axis and said normal axis.

7. In a louver assembly having a frame, a louver vane having opposed sides and pivotally mounted in said frame, a pair of similar spool-like bearing surfaces formed on said sides, each of said bearing surfaces including a partially cylindrical intermediate portion, said portions having a common generating axis, and a slotted member carried by said frame receiving said vane, pivot means formed on the edges of the slots in said slotted member disposed along a second axis intersecting the first axis engaging said bearing surface portions.

8. In the louver assembly set forth in claim 7, said pivot means including spaced aligned circular cylindrical lugs.

9. In the louver assembly set forth in claim 8, said lugs having a diameter approximately equal to the width between the flanges of said spool-like bearing surfaces of each of said portions.

10. In the louver assembly set forth in claim 7, said member being a second louver vane intersecting the first and having an arcuate opening therein where it intersects the louver vane, through which the louver vane extends,

thereby permitting the second louver vane to pivot about said second axis.

11. In the louver assembly set forth inclaim 10, an operating handle pivotally mounted about both of said axes with said louver vanes, and engageable with both of said vanes for elfecting adjustment thereof.

12. In the louver assembly set forth in claim 10, a bifurcated operating lever having laterally spaced parallel arm portions extending on opposite sides of the first said vane.

13. In a louver assembly having a frame, a first louver vane pivotally carried by said frame for movement about a first axis, a second louver vane piovtally carried by said frame for movement about a second axis intersecting said first axis, said first vane having longitudinally disposed sides and edges, one of said longitudinal edges having an arcuate portion spaced inwardly of said one of said longitudinal edges generated by a line parallel to the said second axis symmetrically on both sides of the point where said first and second axes intersect, said second vane containing an opening defined by a wall having an arcuate portion generated by a line parallel to the said first axis symmetrically on both sides of the point where said first and second axes intersect, and said first vane having its arcuate portion disposed within the arcuate portion of said second vane, said arcuate portions having substantially equal radii and each serving as a bearing surface for the other.

14. In a louver assembly as set forth in claim 13, an operating lever pivotally mounted relative to both said axes and movable with said first and second vanes.

15. In a louver assembly as set forth in claim 13, said first vane having opposed sides carrying similar spool-like bearing surfaces each including a partially cylindrical intermediate portion, said portions having a common generating axis, said second vane having pivot means mounted on the edges of the openings therein along said second axis engaging said bearing surface portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,152,447 Wheeler Mar. 28, 1939 2,552,982 Lambert May 15, 1951 2,612,095 Kennedy Sept. 30, 1952 2,612,096 Kennedy Sept. 30, 1952 2,821,899 Goettl Feb. 4, 1958 2,874,626 Goettl Feb. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 771,784 Great Britain Apr. 3, 1957 

